Square Enix has confirmed that it's developing two versions of Dragon Quest XI for PS4 and 3DS.

When it comes to Japanese RPGs there are few names bigger than Dragon Quest. Originating on the Famicom in 1986, the game has become a cultural icon in its homeland with new releases often being treated like full-fledged public events. While less prominent outside of its native Japan, you'll find few JRPG fans who fail to recognize it as a pillar of the subgenre. That being the case, you can perhaps understand the excitement of some over Square Enix's announcement of a new sequel for the beloved franchise.

The new game, dubbed Dragon Quest XI: In Search of the Departed Time, was revealed by Square Enix in a presentation. The game, unlike its MMO predecessor Dragon Quest X, will return to the series' roots and be a stand-alone single player title. The publisher has confirmed that it will be released on PS4 and 3DS, and also suggested that a version for Nintendo's still mysterious NX is being considered as well. The PS4 version will be developed in-house by Square Enix using Unreal Engine 4 and will include dynamic environments and new exploration abilities such as jumping.

The 3DS edition, though developed by largely the same team and following the same story, will use a mixture of 3D chibi graphics and SNES-style visuals in place of the PS4 game's Unreal powered environments. A demo of the 3DS game was shown off at the company's presentation showcasing turn-based battles with enemies appearing on the world map as opposed to random encounters. Interestingly enough, the video in question also seemed to showcase two different battle sequences with one looking more modern and another looking more stripped down and retro-flavored. Square Enix neglected to reveal a launch date for Dragon Quest XI and has likewise provided no comment as to whether it will be receiving an international release. Suffice it to say we'll be keeping our fingers crossed.

Hey, as long as it's more like 8 and less like the fecal abomination that was 9, I'm game for a new Dragon Quest! And since it'll be on ps4 as well, it means they can't lock out giant chunks of the post-game content behind spot pass crap. Which... Well, is already a giant plus to me. Seriously... Screw convention-only maps, screw useless buildings unless you can get dozens of spot passes from people playing the game too, and screw the online shop entirely.

Ah, I see it's time for Trunks to star as the lead of a Dragon Quest game.

Ok, to be fair, it is not the same character design.

I kind of like the idea of having both 3d and 16-bit style graphics in the 3ds version, but why have both at the same time in town and on the overworld? I'd rather have the option to switch between them on the same screen and keep the second screen for a map or menu or something.

While it is cool seeing both styles at the same time but I wonder if they will be an option to just view one style? I just grown accustom to having the menu/ option/ item interface on one screen and the gameplay on the other screen as clear without the cluster of the menu option etc.